This year's Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon will be held at night for the first time in its history

The 2019 edition will flag off at 6pm on Nov 30, while the entire event will take on a three-day format with the Kids Dash happening on Nov 29, and the 5K and 10K races to take place on Dec.1.

The new evening format is part of the organisers' bid to further the appeal of the race and improve SCSM's chances of being inducted into the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a series of the largest and most renowned marathons, in 2021.  

This is "another step forward for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon in their long-term aspiration of becoming an Abbott World Marathon Major", said Abbott World Marathon Majors executive director Tim Hadzima at the launch event on Tuesday.  

“The changes for this year’s marathon are just a few parts of stringent criteria that we assess each year, as there are many stages of this process still to be met. 

"We are excited to see how the runners react to the improvements that they will experience this year," he added. 

The main event's evening start time will be "more conducive for runners", said organisers in response to CNA, "given the cooler temperatures and humidity levels, in addition to more time for sleep and rest". 

"This arrangement also promises better preparation for race day as runners are able to simulate race conditions with the friendlier timings, such as evening runs after work," they added. 

posted Wednesday May 29th